Be there if you can!
Please forward
Sunday morning (around 10:00 am) Jared’s lawyer will file his case in front of Judge Kobi Vardi at the Tel Aviv Central District Court. The Attorney General will file his case and the judge will ask questions etc. He will proceed in one of two ways.
1) Make a decision regarding Jared's case - a - deport him or -b - demand his release and entry into Israel
2) Call for a hearing, to be scheduled later in the day
1) Make a decision regarding Jared's case - a - deport him or -b - demand his release and entry into Israel
2) Call for a hearing, to be scheduled later in the day
He may or may not request Jared to be present during that hearing. As soon as we know we will alert everyone.
NOW: We are doing our best to get as many people as possible to the court. The lawyer said that A STRONG PRESENCE THERE WILL BE A GOOD THING for Jared. Therefore we urge each and everyone that has access to Tel Aviv to be present at The Tel Aviv Central District Court, #1 Weizmann Street by the office of Judge Kobi Vardi.
For further information please email
Baha at: bahilo@gmail.com
Nora at Nora@maanews.net
Nathan at: nathangstokes@gmail.com
NOW: We are doing our best to get as many people as possible to the court. The lawyer said that A STRONG PRESENCE THERE WILL BE A GOOD THING for Jared. Therefore we urge each and everyone that has access to Tel Aviv to be present at The Tel Aviv Central District Court, #1 Weizmann Street by the office of Judge Kobi Vardi.
For further information please email
Baha at: bahilo@gmail.com
Nora at Nora@maanews.net
Nathan at: nathangstokes@gmail.com
Jared Malsin - journalist for Maan News Agency
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Please continue to check the Ma’an website www.maannews.net/eng/ for updates, which will be published as they become available. Condemnations are pouring in from international media NGOs like Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and others, and these are also being published on the website. Background is still available at http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=253864.
After consultation with lawyers and colleagues, we are stressing the following points:
Jared is a journalist with Ma’an News Agency (www.maannews.net/eng), an independent Palestinian media organization that is respected globally as a prime source for accurate, impartial information and professional reporting on events in the Palestinian territories. However, the Israeli authorities refuse to recognize any Palestinian media organizations or grant them official press status. It has thus been impossible for Jared (as for all other Ma’an employees and journalists) to obtain a press card from the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), or for Ma’an’s foreign employees to obtain work visas, though we have made multiple attempts.
- Ma’an has received financial support from numerous foreign donors and international organizations, including the US government through its Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the UK Department for International Development, and UNESCO. (For a fuller list, see the Ma’an Network website at www.maannet.org, particularly under ‘Projects’.) Ma’an is also a member of various international media/journalist networks, and is an important source for reporting on the OPT by organizations such as Reuters, AP, the BBC, New York Times, Ha’aretz, Yediot Ahronot, etc. etc. Thus, although the Israeli government refuses to recognize Ma’an or grant its employees official status as journalists, our work is recognized and supported in different ways by various countries/bodies/organizations, including the US government and Israeli media outlets. This is reflected in the numerous statements of support received from major media NGOs like Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the International Press Institute, and international organizations like UNESCO (see www.maannews.net/en).
- It is clear from the statements filed by the Israeli immigration and Ministry of Interior that Israeli authorities are detaining and seeking to deport Jared for his professional reporting and political views. We are trying to stress that Jared is a professional reporter (not an activist), and is in no way a “security threat” to the State of Israel – he has merely engaged in reporting events on the ground through an impartial, independent, internationally-respected media organization. It seems the Israeli authorities’ main problem is that this media organization (Ma’an) also happens to be Palestinian.
- The US consulate has ensured that Jared's immediate physical needs are met. However, they are totally ignoring the fact that he was denied his rights as a member of the press. They are dealing with his case as if he were only an American citizen, but it is as a journalist that he came to Israel and the OPT, not just as a US citizen. They should therefore acknowledge him as a professional journalist whose right to report and work is being violated, and deal with his case accordingly.
